Politico Morning Defense: Tough advice for the NDAA homestretch
By Brian Bender
“No State Department resources will be used,” a spokesperson said in a statement, insisting Pompeo is participating in a personal capacity. “Staff are not involved in preparing the remarks or in the arrangements for Secretary Pompeo’s appearance. The State Department will not bear any costs in conjunction with this appearance.”
But others say it misses the point. “It is unprecedented and highly unethical for a sitting secretary of state to address a political convention while on official foreign travel,” Halie Soifer, the head of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, told The Associated Press. “In addition to violating the Hatch Act, Secretary Pompeo’s plans to speak at the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem underscore the president’s ongoing effort to politicize the U.S.-Israel relationship.”